Destination report
Mining for meetings in Silesia
PAUL COLSTON BECAME A MINER FOR THE DAY DURING A WHISTLE-STOP TOUR OF SILESIA , A REGION OF POLAND FAST REINVENTING ITSELF FOR HOSTING BUSINESS EVENTS
C
MW recently joined Silesia Convention Bureau ’ s first ever media tour . A unique programme was designed to showcase the post-industrial contrast that lies at the heart of the region . It is a region previously renowned for its heavy industry , but now transformed and pivoting towards showing off the region ’ s natural beauty , including the Beskid Mountains and the local cuisine , heritage and culture .
Magda Mazgai and Jaroslaw Marciuk of the Poland Convention Bureau co-organised the event with the Silesia Convention Bureau with the main goal of raising awareness of the Silesian Voivodeship .
What shone through was an enthusiasm for a new offer on the international meetings market – a region dripping with authenticity .
The programme provided an opportunity to examine two extreme faces of the region over two days . First , came a visit to the heartland of Poland ’ s industrial heritage in Zabrze , where our group was decked out in miners ’ clothes and equipment and sent down the historic Guido mine . The former colliery now is more of a museum with two significant event spaces and offers educational tours of the mine , providing an insight into the coal mining process . In fact our group was not there just to admire event spaces , but was put to work via a teambuilding challenge to construct a metal structure able to hold a conveyor belt structure . We certainly built up a sweat as we scuttled through low
Right : All kitted out for a shift at Zabrze ’ s Guido
Mine
Left : Following a rich seam of events opportunity
tunnels at a depth of 355m and got a literal taste ( and plenty of dust ) of the gruelling labour effort required .
( Some might say it was the only honest day ’ s work this journalist has ever done :).
There are four main chambers in the mine – Research Chamber No . 8 , Compressor Chamber , Pump Hall and Mechanical Workshop . All halls contain a rich seam of learning about the region ’ s extensive mining heritage and each chamber can accommodate from 80 to 180 people .
There followed a treat of a typical local lunch – Rolada Slaska washed down with beer – all in Europe ’ s lowest restaurant , which sits at the bottom of Guido mine .
While the mine ’ s official guide Robert Paluch , a former miner shared his experiences , many of the international delegation would have benefited from having an interpreter , as with a subsequent visit to a heritage centre , where there was an opportunity –
34 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 131